Let The Memories Begin: My Memories

This year's campaign for Disney is Let The Memories Begin.  It's all about remembering the great times you've had in the parks in the past and making new memories in the present.  (And of course, the future.) As Disney has proven over the past few months, the memories you have from vacation are some of the strongest memories that you have.  They are what you remember the fondest when you look back at them. 

So I thought I would take a look at some of my best memories at Walt Disney World (and a few Orlando related trips too) in a reoccurring series here on the blog.

My first memory that I wanted to share with everyone is a trip that dates back to 2002.  This was a trip I took with my mom and brother.  We got to go on this trip because my dad got the opportunity to go to the Superbowl that year, since The Rams (the hometown team) were playing and he wanted to experience that.  So, my mom planned a last minute trip to take my brother and I to Orlando.  (She thought, if he gets to go somewhere, we all should go somewhere!) 

On that trip, we stayed at the La Quinta on International Drive.  I remember fondly going to FAO Schwartz and seeing the Titanic museum, though we didn't go in.  (Titanic had come out not too terribly long ago at the time, so my brother was really big on that movie.)

One of the things I remember was going to Universal (I know...I know...I said a bad word!  lol! Especially in a blog about Disney Memories) and we rode the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, which broke down when we were on it, so we got to see all the set pieces all lit up, then got to ride again.


Of course, we went to Disney too.  We only visited the Magic Kingdom on this trip.  I don't necessarily have a lot of memories from that day.  Only that my brother was in a lot of pain because he had a crick in his neck the whole day, but we did the parks anyway!  

So, while the memories are kind of fuzzy about this trip, I think back fondly on it because it was the last time that we as a family (minus dad...but I've got a trip with him I'm gonna talk about here soon) went on a proper vacation together.  This was the last time that we were just us...as the next year, I met my husband and life would change completely.

It was a wonderful vacation and while it wasn't centered completely on Disney...it is truly something that has stuck with me as this was the turning point on my Disney journey.  See, before I went on this trip, I was not the biggest theme park fan.  I was just coming around to the whole theme park thing.

But because I took this trip, it made me nostalgic for trips from the past, which helped to trigger (later that year) the obsession I now have for Disney.   

So, in a way, this trip was really my journey on beginning my Disney adventure.